commencement camp-ness!

Commencement camp was super fun. We stayed at this uber cool campsite at Simon’s Town, with a pool and two TRAMPOLINES!!! Yay yay yay yay yay. Of course lots of bible talks followed, with lots of time to muck around in the pool, jump on the trampoline and get to know the other students. The food was good, as camp food always is, however from being super spoiled by GWC food I am only used to the best. Haha.

On the last night we watched a movie called The Lives of Others, about this guy who was spying on a German writer and who ended up saving him from the Stasi. Anyway good film, lots to talk about and think about.

We also were put into our fellowship groups, which I’m super excited to get to know during the year. The campsite location was STUNNING,but of course glad to be back at home

start classes tomorrow! WHOOT

Muizenberg Mountain

HECK YES I’ve climbed it!!!!!!

PS. I’ve decided I really need a car.

More books to read: “Know the Truth” by Bruce Milne and “The Story of Christianity” by Justo L. Gonzalez

today I tanned at “Dangers Beach”

yes, this actually proves I am hardcore. Today I spent the day at Dangers Beach, two train stations away from my cute little ‘burb of Muizenberg, where the flags say “sharks”! And we respond with, “meh”!

The trains go right along the beach, so you get the most beautiful view.

Currently I am reading: “According to Plan” by Graham Goldsworthy. My first assigned reading for the year!

Clevedon Road, Muizenberg

Is my new address! I love my room and our cute yellow house, all of my other housemates are from different places in South Africa, so I am the only foreigner there. The scary thing about the level of security here is that for my house alone I have six keys and two different alarm remote beepy things, one with four buttons that I still don’t know how to use (we/I have already accidentally set the security alarm off twice just today).

However, GWC is going to be a great year. I am already starting to read my texts, the students here are rad, I can’t wait to get to know them more, and the food is awesome. And I mean awesome. In chapel we sometimes sing songs in Zulu which is really fun and on saturday we are climbing Muizenberg Mountain!

All in all I really feel at home here already and I am so pumped about this year. I can’t wait to show photos of my new hood!

Masai Mara yetu hakuna matata!

HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATSAAAAABENYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

lol that isn’t actually anything, just my version of the opening to “The Lion King” playing in my head. I had three days on safari in Kenya, more specifically in the Masai Mara National Reserve, which backs onto the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania. Wow what an amazing three days it was. We were very lucky to have seen what we saw, and let me tell you that our driver Joe was such a legend!!! My top seven safari experiences in no particular order:

• two elephants charging at each other, or more like one elephant with huge tusks beating up this poor elephant without tusks. These things are HUGE so it’s a scary sight!!! There was flapping ears and thumping legs and bloody tusks and everything!!!
• a leopard chilling in a tree. Leopards are a very very rare sight so we were very lucky. Leopards are wondrously beautiful creatures.
• seeing my favourite animal of all time, cheetah, with her baby, and later on two of them just chilling on a rock.
• throwing up in the safari vehicle.
• watching the sun set from my tented camp.
• seeing two lionnesses and their babies rip apart a fresh kill. Blood, guts, fur, the whole thing.
• hearing just how loud hippos can burp, and experiencing how gross their breath can smell.

last few days: my thoughts

It’s pretty hard to believe that I will be leaving Rwanda in a matter of days. I have had an amazing time, and especially when I reflect on the people that I’ve met, the amazing scenery that I’ve seen, the relationships that I have made and the way in which God has blessed me in so many ways. I’m so glad I had the awesome opportunity to visit Gisenyi for the weekend, which gave me a great chance to reflect on my time here.

…more updates will come SHORTLY.

…and for a little praise – Kinyarwanda styles

Nkunda Yesu, nkunda Yesu, nkunda Yesu, aradu kunda

Halellujah nkunda Yesu, hallelujah nkunda Yesu

Hallelujah nkunda Yesu, hallelujah aradu kunda!

Happy New Beginnings!

Happy new year!!! New years’ eve is always a good time for celebration, and for joyous expectations for 365 new adventures. My new years’ eve was spent at a wonderful italian restaurant, Sol e Luna, with good company, great food, views of the city lights and after the countdown lots of dancing to both western and Rwandan tunes with Rwandans young and old. Definitely a new years’ eve to remember.

So now 2010 is finally upon me, after looking forward to this year for a really long time. Cape Town and GWC is the next big step, and I am ready to jump in with both feet forward and cool sunnies on.

My new year resolutions:

• take hip-hop dancing classes
• climb Table Mountain twice
• read the whole bible in the year
• regularly update this blog

happiness is…

…seeing the smiles of these wonderful kids in the morning.

…taking motorbikes around dusty, bumpy paths.

…walking hand-in-hand with my girls weaving through fields, goats, chickens and washing lines to meet their families.

…feeling so blessed and thankful to be sharing in the lives of these amazing Rwandan people.

Minibuses and Meddi

I heart Rwandan pop music. I heart Rwandan taste in music full stop. Where else can you catch a crowded minibus into town and get greeted by: Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Kanye West and miscellaneous Rwandan hip hop until you’re sweating like there’s no tomorrow, being stared at, bopping your head, watching green hills rolling by and smiling to yourself? Brisbane City Council got nothing on Kigali’s bus routes.

The Rwandan music scene is everywhere. My Christmas eve was spent at a crowded basketball stadium listening to Rwanda’s top pop stars, dancing with more than slightly inebriated local girls singing and dancing along to songs I had no idea what the words were. How many people can say that was their Christmas eve? Right now this internet cafe is busting out the Rwandan tunes. I wouldn’t have it any other way.